


A True Slytherin

by Drakey



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-08
Updated: 2014-10-08
Packaged: 2018-02-20 08:46:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2422508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drakey/pseuds/Drakey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes, only one house has the virtues it takes to win out in the end.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A True Slytherin

"Oh dear," Albus Dumbledore said, letting the chain slip through his fingers. "Well, only a true Slytherin could have pulled that from the hat." He sighed.

Professor Snape toed the corpse in front of him grimly. "All is lost, then?"

"Hardly," Dumbledore said. "The prophecy is fulfilled, of course, and Voldemort is once more with us in the realm of the truly living, but out of the grip of divination, events can proceed more systematically. I expect we shall triumph eventually." He looked sadly down at the sight before him. One dead basilisk. Three dead students. The snake and two of the students killed by the killing curse, and the third student, a first-year, drained away to build up Lord Voldemort from a memory. Or rather, Dumbledore suspected, from a horcrux. 

"Irony of Ironies, Severus," Dumbledore murmured. "If he had taken after his father and earned your hatred in Gryffindor rather than your respect in Slytherin, he might have pulled a sword from the hat. A much worthier weapon against a basilisk."

"But not likely to save his life, in the end. I think this would have killed him whatever house he was in."

"Perhaps," Dumbledore mused. "But then, Hufflepuff might have armed him with a cup. He would still have been helpless against Voldemort's rage if he somehow slew the basilisk."

"But why did the Dark Lord kill his monster?"

Dumbledore lookedsadly at the locket around Harry Potter's lifeless neck. "I imagine with the locket, Harry could command the beast. Voldemort was on his guard, and so he slew them all without hesitation. Harry didn't even manage to approach the book that must have been the key to destroying him."

Snape shook his head. "Has anyone found Lockhart?"

Dumbledore shrugged. "At the moment, I shall be quite content if we never do."

**Author's Note:**

> This has been in my head for years now. It's grim, dark, and shows the exact problem I always run into when I try to think about putting Harry into Slytherin.
> 
> Anyways, I would be ecstatic to see someone tackle and solve this issue plausibly. I can think of a few ways, but they involve either Harry being a crazy level of genius or Hermione being there to figure it out.
> 
> Or Ron playing hero at exactly the right moment and with exactly the right set of moves. It would have to be almost a perfect copy of the original fight with the basilisk, except with Ron in Harry's place.


End file.
